This Time
by Shimmerbreeze
Summary: Upon realizing that she has to leave home in order to go places in life, Mitchie reflects on the one place that she could call home.


_***This Time***_

_**Welcome to This Time, a short Camp Rock story. I got the idea for this while I was in the kitchen washing dishes. I hope you like. **_

_***S***_

**Song: This Time sung by Lea Michele, written by Darren Criss**

_***S***_

"_Music expresses what cannot be put into words I like to think, and I think the band makes a good go at it."_

_**Steven Tyler**_

_***S***_

It's funny isn't it? How quickly your life could change. One minute I was at Camp Rock for the first time and now I'm graduating high school and soon going on tour with Connect 3 as their opening act. I had to keep repeating things to myself. My name is Mitchie Torres. I'm 18 years old. I'm dating super star Shane Gray. I'm graduating from high school today. I looked around me at the sea of black caps and gowns and caught Sierra's eye. We were still best friends, even though Caitlin had now joined our group, along with the rest of Connect 3. Sierra smiled at me and I gave her a thumbs up when the principle called her name up to give the first speech of the night.

"Hello fellow students, family, and friends," She said smiling as she stood on the small stage that had been set up in the middle of the football field. "Tonight should be a night of celebration and joy, and for some it is, for others it will be a night of bittersweet memories." I smiled, she had been working on her speech for months. Ever the perfectionist, Sierra was. The rest of her speech fell on deaf ears as a few girly screams were heard in the audience, I didn't have to turn around to know that Shane and his brothers had arrived. Sierra glared slightly, but kept on with her speech. After she was done, the band seniors got up and went to play their last song. I had been in band once upon a time, but after Camp Rock I purely focused on my voice and singing.

All too soon it was turn to get up. I was singing before everyone here for the first time. I couldn't believe I had volunteered to do this, but it was too late now as I walked up to the small stage where some of the band members were now standing. Nate and Jason had offered to play the music for me tonight but I had told them I wanted it to be a school thing. They had understood completely, Nate looking a little jealous, as he had never gotten the chance to graduate with a class at school. The year before his diploma had been mailed to him. Being famous had drawbacks.

"Hi everyone," I said quickly when I reached the microphone. "I'm Mitchie Torres and this song is called "This Time," I nodded at the piano player. The music started soft and sweet.

"_These walls and all these picture frames _

_Every name they show_

_These halls I've walked a thousand times_

_Heartbreaks and valentines, _

_Friends of mine all know_

_I look at everything I was_

_And everything I ever loved_

_And I can see how much I've grown_

_And thought the mirror doesn't see it_

_It's clear to me, I feel it_

_I can make it on my own_

_I'm not afraid of moving on and letting go_

_Its just so hard to say goodbye to what I know, _

_I know_

_This time no one's gonna say goodbye_

_I'll keep you in this heart of mine_

_This time I know its never over_

_No matter who or what I am_

_I'll carry we all began_

_This time that we had, _

_I will hold forever_

_This old familiar place is _

_Where every face is another part of me_

_I played a different game them_

_They called me a different name then_

_I think of all the things I did and how _

_I wish I knew what I know now_

_I see how far I've come and what I got right_

_When I was looking for that spotlight_

_I was looking for myself_

_Got over what I was afraid of_

_I showed 'em all that I was made of_

_More than trophies on a shelf_

_For all the battles that we lost or might have won_

_I never stopped believing in the words we sung,_

_We sung _

_This time no one's gonna say goodbye_

_I'll keep you in this heart of mine_

_This time I know its never over_

_No matter who or what I am_

_I'll carry where we all began_

_This time what we had,_

_I will hold forever_

_I'm looking out from the crossroads_

_I don't know how far away I will roll_

_I take a breath, I close my eyes_

_Your voice will carry me home_

_I'll keep you in this heart of mine_

_This time I know its never over_

_No matter who or what I am_

_I'll carry where we all began_

_This time we had, I will hold_

_This time we had, I will hold_

_This time we had , I will hold_

_Forever_

_Forever"_

_***S***_

I leaned in the doorway of the bandroom and smiled as memories played out in my mind. Years of coming here to hide away from the world had left me attached to the place. I stepped inside and walked around the small yet spacious room. On the walls hung generations of marching band pictures. The back wall was blocked by all sorts of percussion instruments, and in the corner stood a piano. Slightly out of tune, and worn from years of students playing it, it had certainly seen better days. I made my way over to it and trailed my fingers over the keys. Here was where I had started writing "This Is Me", and suddenly it hit me. I was no longer a student here. I couldn't come running here when things got hard. This was home though.

"Mitch," I turned around to see Shane standing there. Behind him, in the doorway, stood Jason, Nate, Caitlin, and Sierra. I smiled at the all. "You ready to go?" He asked me. I walked over and grabbed his hand and nodded.

"Let's rock," I said, my eyes felt all watery and I knew if we stayed here any longer I would end up crying, and my makeup was not waterproof.

"Let's rock," my friends chorused back. The group at the door made their way out and down the hall, all laughing and joking. Shane and I paused for a few seconds longer at the door. He smiled and looked down at me. I smiled and chuckled quietly.

"It's home," I said looking back at the dimly lit bandroom.

"You'll find another place," Shane said quietly. I nodded and reached for the light switch. I looked around the room one last time. These four walls had seen me at my best and my worst. They've seen families created and families broken. Blood, sweat, and tears had been shed here. Everyone wanting perfection and to belong. They saw the person I was when I first walked in, and now they're seeing the person I am as I walk out. I flip the switch, bathing the room that had been my home for the last few years in darkness.

I felt tears fall down my face, because I realized that in order to go somewhere in life and to follow my dreams… I had to leave home.

"Goodbye." I whisper quietly over my shoulder.

_***S***_

**So, whatcha think? Please leave a review and don't forget to favorite. The lyrics in this story belong to Darren Criss and Lea Michele. The words in the last few paragraphs are a mixture of my own and some I found on Tumblr. Anyway. Till next time. **

_~Shimmerz~_


End file.
